Former pupil works behind the scenes
In 2020 the Te Puke Times began an occasional series of articles about the fortunes of former Te Puke High School students. The series has been very well received and will continue in 2021. For the very first article, published on June 12, we caught up wi
It’s just two and a half years since Isaac Gunson left Te Puke High School, but already he is rubbing shoulders with some of the country’s best television journalists. Te Puke Times editor Stuart Whitaker caught up with the 2017 head boy in the first of an occasional series about the fortunes of some of the school’s past student leaders
“Do you like cold weather?” That’s how former Te Puke High School head boy Isaac Gunson learned he had a place at Christchurch’s New Zealand Broadcasting School.
“I went to Newshub in Auckland to do a interview,” he says.
“I got a call back just a week into exam leave at the end of the year. The administrator asked if I like cold weather, given I’m from the Bay of Plenty, and I said I could get used to it. She said ‘go grab yourself a puffer jacket because we’d like you to move to Christchurch’.”
It was only during his final year at school that Isaac learned there was somewhere he could follow his dream.
“I had always wanted to go to something like broadcasting school, but it wasn’t until late in high school life that I discovered that where I wanted to go existed.”
He started at the broadcasting school early in 2018.
“That was two years of my life doing everything I’m passionate about: radio journalism, a bit of television practice — all sorts of stuff.” His goal is to be on screen. After his two years’ study was up, he started an internship with TVNZ’S Christchurch news crew.
Once the internship is completed he will have finished his Bachelor of Broadcast Journalism.
“I do all sorts for the One News team — I go out and pick up interviews for different stories, I pitch stories and script some. I’ll write voice-over stories for the 6 o’clock or midday bulletin. I’ve done some rolling breaking news coverage through the Covid-19 lockdown. But I’ve only done practise stuff in front of the camera — nothing that’s got on air yet.”
While in Christchurch Isaac has been involved in media coverage of two huge stories — the Christchurch Mosque shootings and the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Covid-19 situation is certainly one of those things that myself and the reporters and the producer are saying ‘this is a story where we really have to pace ourselves’.
“With this, we really are just at the start of the story. It’s been one of the biggest restrictions on New Zealander movements, but that’s really the smallest part of the story — what comes next, the economic turmoil, all the fall-out from the decision to save New Zealand from a health perspective.
“I did some covering of the March 15 events last year for our studentrun news outlet and that was the kind of thing that exhausted you to the end — there was still turmoil and fallout that went on late into the year.”
He says he is thoroughly enjoying the internship and is getting to work with some of his heroes, “people I have watched on TV since I was a very young boy, the likes of Joy Reid, Lisa Davies and Thomas Mead”.
“There are some really incredible reporters here who have been here for a while and also people like Jordan Oppert who’s up and coming but has made her talent very clear across Breakfast and 6 O’clock.
“I’m getting to learn lessons from all these people — it’s been an opportunity that’s second to none.”
He is learning by observing but is also picking up tips from the other journalists.
“They always take time to debrief me on what they’ve done, how they did it and why they went about it like they did, but they also acknowledge that the way they did it is really just one way of doing it and emphasising that I can develop my own style.”
Isaac says there wasn’t one standout aspect of being at Te Puke High School that has helped him since he left.
“In a way it was everything. From the academic perspective, Allan ‘Frisby’ Smith, who retired last year, taught drama and theatrically I feel that gave me a step up in terms of my on-camera persona and abilities.
“Shea Mcevoy was my small group teacher for the whole five years I was there.
“He left at the same time as I did and he really taught me those core skills of being a reliable, responsible, relatable person who can reach their potential. I would credit so much of my pathway thus far to him.”
History teacher Paul Conrad and graphics design teacher Shannon Armstrong were also big influences.
“I’m in touch with all four of them still and make a concerted effort to try and catch up over a coffee or over a beer whenever I’m home.”
When the six month internship ends Isaac says there are “a couple of opportunities being thrown around and discussed, but nothing concrete.
“Hopefully I’ll get to take up one of those.”